Frequently Asked Questions Where is the Piano4FUN! studio? When are lessons scheduled? How often are lessons and how long are they? What is the best procedure for dropping off my student? Why do you require parents to attend their children's lessons? Do I need to practice outside of my lessons? How does this method compare to traditional piano lessons? What if I have already taken traditional piano lessons? Why switch to Simply Music? Why do you offer shared lessons over private instruction? Is this also a good program for adults & seniors? Is this a good program for homeschoolers? Is this a good program for people with disabilities? Do I have to own a piano? What should I look for in choosing a piano or keyboard? Where is the Piano4FUN! studio? The studio is located on the upper level of Yanda’s Music & Pro Audio in Downtown Kearney, “On the Bricks”. Yanda's Music 2301 Central Ave. Kearney, NE Back to Top When are lessons scheduled? Lessons are available after school and into the evenings every Monday – Thursday. Student groups are scheduled according to the openings in the teachers’ schedules, and the availability of the members of the group. When you schedule your lessons, your teacher will find out your experience level and availability and call you within a few days to discuss the best lesson group and time for you! You can contact us via the “Contact Us” link on the right to express your interest in taking lessons or to RSVP for an upcoming FREE Introductory Session! Back to Top How often are lessons and how long are they? Lessons are weekly. We meet year round with periodic breaks for holidays and vacations. Lessons range from 30-50 minutes, depending on the number of students in the class. Please refer to the Studio Policies link for more information. Back to Top What is the best procedure for dropping off my student? Actually, this is sort of a trick question... unique about the Simply Music approach is that lessons are NOT a "drop off and pick up" arrangement. The student's parent is expected to stay in the lesson with the student each week. This requirement allows the parent to be directly involved in the student's musical education, gives the opportunity for the parent to encourage their child and to keep the student accountable to the new material presented and the assignments given in class. Back to Top Why do you require parents to attend their children's lessons? The parent is a crucial component of the Simply Music program. And because of this we require the parents to attend the lessons. This allows the parent the opportunity to be directly involved in the student's musical education and makes learning a team effort! An added bonus is that by observing the lessons and participating with the child's learning at home, the parent can choose to learn piano right alongside their child, for free! Back to Top Do I need to practice outside of my lessons? In order to receive the full benefit of the Simply Music program you will need to practice for 15 to 20 minutes, 5 or 6 days each week. Most importantly, rehearsal should be scheduled to occur at the same time each day. We will discuss this further in the Foundation Session (your first lesson). Ultimately, one of the most important requirements of the studio is to have an adequate amount of time and focus available to devote to learning to play piano. If this is not possible, it may be better for you to wait until you have an appropriate amount of time available to learning this new skill. Back to Top How does this method compare to traditional piano lessons? The Simply Music Method is based on the premise that everyone, without exception, is naturally musical. Traditional methods insist that beginners learn to read music as the means of learning to play. This removes the natural connection between student and instrument and, commonly, it removes all the fun too. In fact, expecting children to read music before they've learned to play is like expecting children to read and spell before they've learned to talk! In contrast, Simply Music temporarily delays the reading process and rather introduces students to playing via a revolutionary, 'playing-based' approach - a body of unique concepts that unfold directly onto the keyboard, producing unprecedented results. With Simply Music, students experience the pleasure and satisfaction that comes from quickly playing a huge repertoire of great-sounding music after a few months, rather than after a few years, of lessons! Back to Top What if I have already taken traditional piano lessons? Why switch to Simply Music? The traditional approach to piano generally limits students to reading music only, and this music, most often, is purely classical in style. Students who learn in a typical traditional environment are also unable to play much of a repertoire unless provided with sheet music or a book to play out of, as memorization is oftentimes a frustrating and arduous task! In contrast, Simply Music offers students a wide variety of genres to play, including blues, contemporary, jazz and popular, in addition to the classics! They also learn how to accompany, which includes learning how to play most contemporary chords: major, minor, the 7ths, augmented, diminished, 2nd, 6th, 11th, 13th and split chords! This opens the door to being able to play virtually any song, be it pop, country, Christian, blues, etc! In addition, Simply Music provides students with the tools and freedom to learn how to compose and to improvise, becoming self-generating musicians, as opposed to only being able to only play someone else’s compositions from the page. Students learn strategies on how to see different patterns and shapes in music, and how to map those onto the keyboard. This results in a deeper, more thorough understanding of a song, as opposed to purely memorizing notes. Student can become more adept at sight-reading music through the familiarity with patterns and shapes that is developed through Simply Music lessons. Reading music is certainly a crucial part of becoming a musician as well, and Simply Music DOES present how to do so in an extremely natural way. Back to Top Why do you offer shared lessons over private instruction? Piano4Fun! instruction is done through shared lessons almost exclusively because those three to eight peer-aged students reap many benefits of learning together in community, such as: * Students get comfortable playing in front of others, even when they don't have a song down perfectly, or something is still in the process of being learned. It is exciting for a student to perform for others and is motivating to receive the applause for a job well done! * Shared lessons allow for multi-faceted learning. Not only does the student learn from the teacher through auditory, visual, and tactual instruction, but from observation of other students as well. Simply Music utilizes a more natural learning process, and group lessons actually increase the success of the method. * Private lessons can be a little intimidating – the student has to come up with all the answers on their own for the whole lesson, and may feel anxious with constant focus solely on them. In the case of shared lessons, the students get a chance to sit back and observe other students and to learn alongside others. The students enjoy the opportunity to take turns at being the performer at the piano. * Traditionally, piano lessons are a very solitary experience – students come to lessons on their own, and then go home and practice on their own. Yet we believe that music is to be shared. The shared lessons allow for and encourage this philosophy. * Shared lessons are very dynamic, interactive and fun. There is a motivating energy in a room of students working together! * Simply Music uses a multi-sensory learning approach, meaning that we use a variety of techniques that appeal to all learning styles. One of the most important of these is observatory learning. This occurs when students are able to process information while watching and interacting with other students. * A shared lesson is more fun and more energetic than a private lesson. And often students progress through the program faster in a group environment than they do on their own! Back to Top Is this also a good program for adults & seniors? Definitely! Even if you have never had any music instruction in your life, you have the opportunity to quickly learn how to play mature-sounding songs from your very first lessons! So, if you’ve always wanted to play, or if you used to play and wish you hadn’t forgotten how, NOW is the time to jump right in! Back to Top Is this a good program for homeschoolers? Absolutely. As a matter of fact, Simply Music is the closest thing to a homeschooled environment that you can get in music instruction, as students are placed together in groups of varying ages and receive hands-on instruction which opens the door to imagination, improvisation, and composition. Homeschool parents are encouraged to enroll their children as part of their music education, as Simply Music opens the door for not only understanding of the piano, but of music writing, expression and song structure as well. Back to Top Is this a good program for people with disabilities? Yes. Especially those with dyslexia and attention deficit, as the instruction is laid out on the keyboard in a hands-on method, not in a reading process. Back to Top Do I have to own a piano? You will need to practice outside of your lessons, therefore, it is recommended that you have a suitable instrument in your home. However, that instrument doesn’t necessarily have to be a full sized or expensive piano! An inexpensive keyboard will work just fine. Visit our “Links” page to see some great options of keyboards or pianos that you can purchase at Yanda’s! If you do not have a suitable instrument, and are unable to afford one, you may find that a friend, relative, neighbor or church with a keyboard instrument, may be willing to allow you to practice on theirs. Back to Top What should I look for in choosing a piano or keyboard? When choosing a piano or keyboard, budget is often an important factor. Full size pianos have 88 keys, and have all of the preferred benefits and features. A local piano tuner can provide valuable advice, and can often assist when considering purchasing a used instrument. Use the following guidelines (in order of importance) to decide on a suitable keyboard: * A minimum of 61 regular-sized keys, though if affordable, an 88-key keyboard would be ideal * A sustain pedal (not a sustain 'button') * Touch sensitive keys * Weighted keys Visit our “Links” page to see some great options of keyboards or pianos that you can purchase at Yanda’s! 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